


From Bad to Worse

by doctornineandthreequarters



Series: 9-1-1 Prompts and Drabbles [16]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Hurt Evan "Buck" Buckley, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Post-Lawsuit (9-1-1 TV), Worried Firefam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:40:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27400585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: “Perfect,” The doctor said. “We’ll schedule you in for the first thing Saturday morning. I’ll have the nurse come back in and go over the details with you.” Buck nodded and then the doctor left. He let out another long sigh, exhaustion and misery seeping through his bones. Of course he needed a minor surgery. Because when in the last six months had things gone his way?At least, even with this minor surgery, nothing could get worse. Right?---Or, Buck goes into minor surgery without telling anyone.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Firehouse 118 Crew, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: 9-1-1 Prompts and Drabbles [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878523
Comments: 21
Kudos: 585





	From Bad to Worse

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: after the lawsuit everyone is cold to Buck and all his attempts to make amends usually leaves him heartbroken. He goes to a checkup and the doctor says they have to do minor surgery on his leg. The surgery falls on a weekend and if he needs more time he’ll call out. He doesn’t even tell Maddie. During the surgery something goes wrong because of the blood thinners. Buck goes into a semi-coma. Bobby is his emergency contact so he and firefam are appalled when they get the call. Buddie

“Alright Mr. Buckley, we got your scans back.” Buck sighed as the doctor entered the room. Having to go to the doctor to have his leg checked was just the icing on top of a terrible week. Maybe he was back on calls at work, but that didn’t mean everything was back to normal. Bobby was cordial at best. Hen and Chimney were nice when it was just them around. And Eddie, well Eddie had said they were alright and then still managed to avoid Buck when it wasn’t necessary to talk. 

So, to say Buck was already in a miserable mood was an understatement. And based on how his week was going, he didn’t expect good news from the doctor. 

“I’d love some good news, doc.” The doctor sighed and Buck stiffened a little. 

“Well we noticed a slight problem with your leg,” The doctor said. “Nothing life-threatening, but it will require major surgery. I’d like to get you in as soon as possible, if that’s alright.” Buck sighed and dragged a hand down his face. 

“I’m off this weekend,” Buck said.

“Perfect,” The doctor said. “We’ll schedule you in for the first thing Saturday morning. I’ll have the nurse come back in and go over the details with you.” Buck nodded and then the doctor left. He let out another long sigh, exhaustion and misery seeping through his bones. Of course he needed a minor surgery. Because when in the last six months had things gone his way?

At least, even with this minor surgery, nothing could get worse. Right?

* * *

Bobby sat down on the couch in the living room, lifting up Athena’s legs as he did. His wife shot him a smile over her book as he sat down, setting her legs on his lap.

“Interesting book?” Bobby asked, gently massaging her foot. 

“It’s alright,” Athena said, dog-earing the page and setting the book down. “Something on your mind?”

“Just thought since Harry and May are at Michael’s for the weekend, then maybe we could do something fun,” Bobby said. “Maybe see that movie you were talking about.” Athena smiled, reaching her hand out to cup his cheek. Bobby was about to say something when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. 

“You get that,” Athena said. “And then we can discuss movie times.” Bobby smiled before pulling his phone out of his pocket. He furrowed his brow at the number before answering. 

“Hello?”

“ _ Hi, is this Robert Nash?” _

“This is he.” Athena watched him with a careful eye as Bobby kept his face neutral. “Can I ask who’s calling?”

“ _ My name’s Dr. Templeton. I’m calling from the Medical Center at USC.” _ Bobby felt a familiar concern building in his chest.  _ “You’re listed as a secondary emergency contact for Evan Buckley. We tried to get in touch with his primary emergency contact, Madeline Buckley, but she wasn’t answering _ .”

“Is Buck alright?” Athena raised an eyebrow at that as Bobby gently moved her feet off his lap. 

“ _ I think it would be best if we spoke in person _ .”

“Of course. I’ll be there shortly.” He ended the call and tried to calm the tightening in his chest. He felt Athena watching him and took a long breath before speaking again. “Buck’s in the hospital. They tried to call Maddie, but they couldn’t get in touch with her.”

“Well, what are you waiting around for?” Athena asked. “You go to the hospital and I’ll get in touch with Maddie.”

“Athena.”

“Bobby, you can feel guilty later,” Athena said. “Go.” Bobby just nodded and got up. He had to remain calm. He didn’t even know what was wrong. It could’ve been nothing. Or it could’ve been life-threatening. He never knew what to expect with Buck. 

So, he needed to get to the hospital and find out exactly what was happening.

* * *

Eddie moved through the hospital, fighting down the concern bubbling through him. When Athena called him, she simply told him Buck was at the hospital. Since that call, Eddie had been filled with concern and regret. He had told Buck they were okay, that he had forgiven him. And yet, he had still avoided him, still ignored him when it wasn’t absolutely necessary. If he had been a better person, would he have noticed that something was wrong? Would he have known sooner why Buck was in the hospital?

“What’s going on?” Eddie asked, as soon as he found the others. Hen and Athena were sitting on a bench, while Chimney paced near them. Bobby was standing next to Athena, an unreadable expression on his face. “Is Buck okay?”

“Other than the fact that my brother had surgery without telling anyone?” He turned to see Maddie approaching, a frown on her face. Eddie looked back at Bobby, who sighed. 

“Buck went in for a minor surgery on his leg,” Bobby said. “There were some complications because of the blood thinners and they had to put him in a medically induced coma.” Eddie felt his stomach drop.

“The doctor said it was necessary to complete the surgery,” Maddie said. “Now, we’re just waiting for him to wake up.” She crossed her arms over her chest, sniffing slightly. Chimney stopped his pacing to cross to Maddie. “I just don’t understand why he didn’t say anything, why he didn’t tell anyone.” Eddie frowned, that concern melting to guilt. He knew Buck well enough to know why he hadn’t said anything. 

“Well, are you all going to tell her, or should I?” Eddie watched as Athena eyed everyone. “How you all have clearly been punishing that boy since the lawsuit that he didn’t tell anyone about this?” Maddie looked at all of them, anger in her eyes. 

“We weren’t punishing him,” Bobby said. “He sued the department and me. How was I supposed to just move past that?”

“And what’s your excuse?” Maddie asked, looking at Hen, Chimney, and Eddie. “Buck didn’t sue you.”

“But he told private things to that scumbag of a lawyer,” Eddie said. “He came after all of us.”

“No, he wanted his job back,” Maddie said. “He has been pushing himself for months because all he wants is to be around all of you. His family. And instead of seeing how much you all mean to him, you just pushed him away? Made him feel like the bad guy?” Maddie just shook her head. “I’m going to check on my brother. And until I hear it from him, I don’t want any of you visiting him.” She then stormed off, leaving the rest of them there.

“We messed up, didn’t we?” Hen asked once Maddie was gone. “He just wanted all of us back and we weren’t there for him.”

“We’re here now,” Bobby said. “And when Buck wakes up, because he will wake up, then we will owe him a lot of apologies.” Eddie wanted to agree, he wanted to believe that they could make it up to Buck. And part of him knew that Buck would just forgive them all. But that wouldn’t push down the part of him that felt horribly guilty. And he wasn’t sure even seeing Buck awake would assuage that. 

But he had to hope it could help, even a little.

* * *

Buck groaned a little as his eyes adjusted to the light. He felt like hell, which seemed odd for what was supposed to just be a minor surgery.

“Buck?” As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that Maddie was sitting by his bedside. “Oh thank god!”

“Maddie?” Buck asked, sitting up a little. “What...what are you doing here?”

“You mean after you didn't tell me you were having surgery?” Buck groaned a little and cleared his throat. Maddie sighed and passed him a cup of water. “Buck, why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was just minor surgery,” Buck said. “I figured I’d be in and out. No need to make things about me or be exhausting.” Maddie frowned and he sighed. “But you know now. Also, how do you know?”

“There was a complication with your surgery,” Maddie said. “Because of the blood thinners. So, they had to put you in a medically induced coma.” Buck let his head fall back against the pillow. “They couldn’t get in touch with me, so they called Bobby.” Buck’s eyes went wide.

“No.” Buck felt a tightening in his chest. “No. No, no, no. Maddie, they can’t have called Bobby. If he thinks I’m hurt he’s going to bench me again and I need my job, I need it.”

“Buck!” He felt Maddie grab his hand, grounding him. He sucked in a breath, trying to calm down. “Buck, Bobby’s not going to bench you over this, okay? As soon as he got the call, he and the rest of the team came running. Athena was the one who came to the dispatch center to get me.”

“They’re...they’re all here?” Maddie just nodded. She squeezed his hand tightly.

“I know they haven’t been kind to you since the lawsuit,” Maddie said. “And I wish you had told me sooner.” 

“It would’ve affected your relationship with Chimney,” Buck said. “And you’re happy Maddie. I didn’t want to impact that.”

“I can never be really happy if my brother is unhappy,” Maddie said. She squeezed his hand again and he sniffed, trying to hold back tears. “I never want you to think that you can’t come to me about anything, okay?” Buck nodded, a few tears slipping down his cheeks. “Now, I’m going to get the doctor to make sure you’re okay so then I can take you home and hover.”

“At least you’re being honest about hovering this time.” Maddie rolled her eyes, but there was a playfulness to it. She kissed his head before heading out of the room. Buck sighed when she was gone. He craned his neck towards the door, thinking about what Maddie said. She had said the team came running. Were they still there? Were they going to think that he was being an inconvenience? Were they going to be mad at him? 

Buck let out another sigh, not sure if he wanted to see them, if he wanted to increase that miserable feeling that had been settling in his heart.

* * *

Buck fidgeted with his hands as he sat in the hospital bed. The doctor had given him the all clear, apologizing for the complications but saying the surgery had been a success anyways. After some brief tests and Maddie talking to the doctor, he was just waiting to go home. 

Well, he was waiting for two things, actually. 

When Maddie left the room to go see if she could get him discharged, he had asked her to send everyone in. If they were mad at him, then he wanted to get all of that out of the way, instead of worrying about it. 

“Hey Buckaroo.” He felt a little ease when he saw Athena enter first. “We’re definitely glad to see you awake.” Buck stayed silent as everyone else came in. 

“Hey,” Hen said, walking over to him. “How are you feeling?” 

“Fine,” Buck said. He glanced at Bobby, who had a neutral expression on his face. “The doctor says recovery time should be about a week, but only because of the complications.”

“Buck.” He stiffened a little when Bobby spoke. “Your job’s not on the line. We just all wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“You...you did?”

“Of course we did,” Hen said with a sad smile. “I know we’ve all done a really bad job of showing it lately, but we care about you.”

“You just wanted to get back to work,” Chimney said. “Which I know all too well. We should’ve supported you, not ignored you.” Buck glanced down at his hands, sniffing a little.

“You all have your own problems,” Buck said, avoiding their gazes. “You should have to worry about me or my exhausting problems.”

“Buck, no.” He looked up, realizing Eddie was speaking for the first time since entering the room. “You’re not exhausting. You’re not selfish. You just wanted to come back to work and we should’ve understood that. We should’ve been there for you.” Buck just watched Eddie, his stomach twisting into knots as it often did when Eddie was around. Eddie seemed to grow slightly uncomfortable with Buck watching him because Buck was pretty sure he saw Eddie blush.

“The point is,” Bobby said. “We’re sorry and we really hope you can forgive us.” Buck just nodded. “But until then, rest up and we’ll see you back at work.”

“Thanks Bobby.” His captain offered him a nod and Buck smiled a little. He and Athena left and Buck looked at the others. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t stick up for you more,” Hen said. “It won’t happen again.” 

“We’re here for you whenever you need us,” Chimney said and Buck nodded. “We’ll get out of your hair. Also, I need to go grovel to your sister.”

“She’ll forgive you. You guys are good together.” Chimney smiled at that and then they left the room. That left Buck alone with Eddie. The older male sighed slightly before sitting down in the open chair by his bed. Buck watched him, trying to figure out what he was going to say or do next, while ignoring the thumping of his heart that seemed to only increase when Eddie was around.

“Buck I’m sorry.” Eddie reached his hand out taking Buck’s and Buck felt his ears heat up. “I said I forgave you but then didn’t notice that you were miserable, that I was helping to make you miserable. And I’m sorry. You should never have to go through anything alone. And I’m also really sorry for what I said to you at the grocery store. You’re not exhausting. I was just mad that you weren’t there.”

“I would’ve been there, if you had called me,” Buck said. “If you had told me that Christopher needed me, I would’ve been there in a heartbeat.” Eddie’s thumb ran along Buck’s hand and Buck felt a shiver run through him. 

“He wasn’t the only one who needed you,” Eddie whispered. He looked up at Buck and Buck felt his breath catch in his throat. “I...I needed you too and I was just too scared to say anything.”

“I would’ve been there for you,” Buck said, watching Eddie intently. “I still would.” Eddie smiled and Buck felt his heart jump in his chest. It would be so easy to lean over and kiss Eddie. It sounded like Eddie wouldn’t push him away if he did.

He was still calculating making his move, when Eddie closed the distance, sealing his lips over Buck’s. Buck melted into the kiss, his free hand coming up to cup Eddie’s cheek. Eddie’s other hand came up to cup the nape of Buck’s neck, deepening the kiss. Buck tried to move closer, but then remembered he was stuck in a hospital bed and huffed out a breath. Eddie just chuckled, shifting closer. Buck was sure they would’ve fallen deeper and deeper into the moment. 

“Damn it.” They broke apart, hearing a voice in the room. Buck flushed scarlet when he saw Chimney and Maddie at the door. “Now I owe Hen twenty bucks.” 

“I was going to see if you were ready to go home,” Maddie started, a slightly amused expression on her face. “But it seems like someone else is taking care of that.” She then narrowed her eyes at Eddie. “You are taking care of him, right?”

“That’s the plan.” Buck looked over at Eddie, who smiled at him. “He’s in good hands.” Maddie nodded, a pleased smile on her face.

“Just as long as those hands keep to themself because my brother is recovering.”

“Maddie!” Chimney snorted and Maddie giggled. 

“Bye boys!” She then left the room, Chimney followed after her. Buck just buried his head in his hands, completely embarrassed by his sister.

“Come on.” Eddie was tugging on his arm and Buck looked up at him. “Let’s get out of here. I know a bed calling your name and a very excited kid who will be happy to see you.” Buck smiled and Eddie pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Now, come on.”

And as Eddie helped him up, Buck couldn’t help but smile. It had felt like, especially with the surgery, like everything was continuing to go wrong. But now? Now, everything was finally going right.

And after the day and the weeks he had been having, having things go right made him feel really good.


End file.
